NBPTS English as a New Language (ENL) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Comprehensible input (i+1)

Krashen's claim that language acquisition occurs when learners understand input slightly beyond their current level, supported by context and nonlinguistic cues rather than explicit grammar study.

BICS versus CALP

Cummins' distinction between conversational fluency, developing in one to three years, and academic language proficiency, requiring five to seven years and dependent on schooling and literacy.

Affective filter

A hypothetical filter raised by anxiety, low motivation, or low self-confidence that reduces the amount of comprehensible input a learner can take in and process.

Interlanguage

A learner's rule-governed, evolving language system that shows features of the first language, overgeneralizations, and developmental patterns, and changes with exposure and feedback.

Fossilization

The stabilization of incorrect or nonnative interlanguage features that persist despite continued exposure, often when learners receive little corrective feedback or communicative pressure.

L1 literacy transfer

The carryover of phonological awareness, decoding skills, and academic text knowledge from a first language to a second, strongest when the writing systems are similar.

Threshold hypothesis

The idea that cognitive benefits of bilingualism appear only when learners reach a minimum competence in both languages, rather than in subtractive contexts where one language replaces another.

Deep versus surface culture

Surface culture includes visible artifacts such as food and dress; deep culture includes largely tacit values, beliefs, and communication norms that shape behavior in classrooms.

High-context communication

A communication style in which meaning relies heavily on shared situation, relationships, and nonverbal cues rather than explicit verbal statements, common in many collectivist cultures.

Additive bilingualism

An approach that maintains and develops a student's first language and culture while adding English and school culture, in contrast to subtractive assimilation that replaces them.

Stereotype threat

The risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, which can raise anxiety and depress performance, especially on high-stakes tasks with identity cues.

Culture shock stages

A predictable sequence of honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and adaptation that can explain fluctuating engagement, withdrawal, or irritability in newly arrived students.

Power distance

A cultural dimension describing the extent to which less powerful members accept unequal power; high power distance students may avoid questioning teachers or negotiating grades.

Language objectives

Lesson objectives that specify the language function, the language form, and the supports students will use, such as sentence frames or word banks.

Sheltered instruction

An approach that teaches grade-level content while making language comprehensible through visuals, modeling, interaction, and explicit language objectives, often organized around the SIOP components.

ELP performance levels

Descriptions of what students can do with academic English, typically ranging from entering to bridging, used to plan instruction one level above current performance.

Scaffolding

Temporary supports such as modeling, graphic organizers, sentence frames, and native language resources that are gradually removed as learners gain proficiency and independence.

Backward design

A planning sequence that identifies desired results, determines acceptable evidence, and then designs learning experiences aligned with both content and language objectives.

Translanguaging

The strategic use of a learner's full linguistic repertoire, such as bilingual word walls or first-language prewriting, to support learning rather than treating the first language as interference.

Formative versus summative

Formative assessment informs instruction in real time, while summative assessment measures achievement at the end; both must match the language demands of the task.

Accommodation versus modification

Accommodations change how students access content, such as extra time or read-aloud directions, while modifications change content expectations and may affect accountability.

Performance-based assessment

Assessment through portfolios, presentations, and projects scored with rubrics that separate language criteria from content accuracy, capturing academic language use that multiple-choice tests miss.

Dynamic assessment

An approach that measures learning potential by providing prompts or mediation during testing and observing how the learner responds, contrasting with static standardized testing.

Assessment bias

The distortion of scores caused by culturally specific content, idioms, or context-dependent items that unfairly disadvantage English learners regardless of their knowledge.

Lau v. Nichols

The 1974 Supreme Court decision holding that identical facilities and curriculum do not guarantee equal treatment; districts must provide meaningful access for students with limited English proficiency.

Castaneda v. Pickard

The 1981 decision establishing a three-part test for program adequacy: research-based, implemented with sufficient resources, and evaluated for effectiveness in overcoming language barriers.

Plyler v. Doe

The 1982 Supreme Court decision that undocumented children have the right to a free public K-12 education and that districts cannot require immigration documents for enrollment.

Language difference versus disability

The distinction between normal second-language development and a disability, requiring native language data, response-to-intervention evidence, and caution against both over- and under-identification.

Epstein's six types

A framework of family and community involvement covering parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community.

Funds of knowledge

The skills, knowledge, and networks households hold through work, caregiving, and community life that can be used as resources for instruction and relationship building.

Trained interpreters

Qualified adults used for high-stakes school communication with families, rather than students, to ensure accurate, confidential, and undistorted information exchange.

Family engagement barriers

Obstacles to involvement such as work schedules, transportation, language, and unfamiliarity with school norms, which flexible scheduling and translated materials can reduce.